Kazantip’s founders are throwing a crazy new 32-day festival

Unfortunately, the freewheeling festival’s reign didn’t last much longer than that – civil unrest forced it to move from its longtime home on the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, with Kazantip resettling in Cambodia a year later – only to have that event cancelled at the eleventh hour by disgruntled authorities.

Since then, Kazantip’s gone underground and its organisers have turned their focus to something new. This year they’re returning with GemFest, a festival they describe as the “spiritual successor to Kazantip,” and it’s not for the faint of heart. GemFest will take place over 32 days – that’s an entire month, from July 14 to August 14 – on the Black Sea beach of Anaklia, Georgia.

All up GemFest promises to deliver 500 artists playing across 9 stages. The line-up has started strong: first phase headliners include big room kings like Axwell & Ingrosso, Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki, plus underground heroes like James Zabiela, Honey Dijon, Paul Kalkbrenner and tINI.

The best bit? Access to all 32 days of the festival will set you back just AUD$215. Get more info on the website and for an idea of what to expect, scroll down to see last year’s GemFest aftermovie.